"How do you know, Y/n?" Marty squints at her before his bleary eyes drift down to her moving hands, following along as she sets out cups and cracks open sodas.

"How do you know her?" She wrinkles her nose in confusion, glancing at him sideways as she uncaps a bottle of rum.

- She knows you from one of her classes: a sweet girl that she’s befriended enough to invite to this party. You’re currently sitting in the living room with another one of your classmates, chatting away about nothing in particular as you wait for her to come back. You’re pretty and you’re kind, but you’re not the type of person that everyone on campus knows; especially not someone as oblivious as Marty.

“We’ve had classes together since freshman year.” Marty supplies. That was news to her.

- She glances over at him as he pointedly avoids her stare, busying himself with tilting each of the solo cups littering the table in an attempt to find a clean one; or at least pretending to. She’s never seen him so …shy. Never seen him trying to act so nonchalant….

- In the past, Jules attempted to set Marty up with just about every girl she knew. Every attempted match always seemed to end in failure and after a while, she sort of just gave up. Marty showed so little interest in all of her selections that she had no choice but to accept the fact that he didn’t want her help. She took the hint, backing off and giving him the space he needed to find someone himself. He never did….

- It takes her less than a minute to connect the dots. Marty’s never gone out with another girl because Marty wants you.

- You don’t seem like his type, though apparently, Jules has no idea what his type actually is. Nevertheless, she’s eager to set the two of you up and plans on doing so that very evening. She knows that she’ll have to be subtle though: if she’s too obvious in her matchmaking attempts, he’ll flee like a spooked stray cat.

- She forces him to help her carry over the drinks that she’s made, trying to hide her giddiness as she leads him through the crowd. Though he protests at first, wincing at the prospect of approaching you, he slowly relents, following behind her reluctantly.

“So,” She begins as she hands you a cup. “Marty tells me that the two of you know each other.”

“Oh yeah,” you reply after giving the man beside her a quick once over. “We have…algebra together!”

- And thus begins your conversation….

- Whether you spend a lot of time talking to Marty that night or not, Jules has made it her mission to bring the two of you together. She does so under the guise of having you join their clique. It’s not necessarily a lie—they’re all more than happy to have you—but she does have ulterior motives.

- As the resident “third wheels” of the group, you and Marty end up spending a lot of time together. Though he initially comes across as a stereotypical stoner, you soon find out that there’s more to him than meets the eye. Marty is surprisingly considerate and kind; especially for someone who spends most of his time blazed out of his mind. He may not be able to tell the difference between a wolf and a moose, but he can tell when you’re feeling out of sorts and tends to subtly keep an eye on you whenever you’re out in public.

- When the rest of the group leaves an area before you do, you’ll often find that he’s the only one left lingering behind, patiently waiting for you to be ready and never leaving you all on your own. He always sits in the seat closest to yours, always stands next to you in a crowd, always subtly saves you a spot. He never makes a big deal out of all of his efforts; whether out of consideration for you or out of misplaced embarrassment for himself, but you still try to show him your gratitude. Although everyone is nice, Marty is the one who makes you feel truly welcome and ensures that you’re never alone.

- Jules often insinuates that the two of you should date. Sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes it’s not. She isn’t pushy but she does like to mention it every now and again: redundantly telling you about how sweet Marty is, about how he can sometimes be a little shy, and that she thinks you’d be cute together.

- Sometimes she brings it up around the both of you; usually earning her a halfhearted and somewhat shy “shut up” or “stop playing matchmaker” from Marty. Whenever you’re sitting together, she likes to give a teasing “look at the happy couple” or “don’t you guys look cute all cosied up”. And when there’s a couple being romantic nearby, she likes to jokingly ask: “so when is it your turn”.

- Like with everything else between the two of you, Jules is the catalyst to your first kiss. She invites you along on a camping trip and during a game of truth or dare, dares you to “kiss someone in this room”. Since your choices are between two people in a committed relationship, two people in an almost relationship, and Marty—the choice is rather simple.

- Marty perks up as you approach him, sitting up a little once he realizes you intend on kissing him. Though he tries to act nonchalant, he still shifts forward in an attempt to meet you halfway, holding his joint out of the way as you lean in and press a kiss to his lips. It’s not a childish peck, but it’s still pretty chaste, and the rest of the group jeers at you as you begin to pull away, teasingly claiming that it “doesn’t count”.

- So you kiss him again….

- Marty follows your lead, never taking more than what you’re willing to give him, yet he can’t help but begin to follow after you as you start to pull away. He's ready to keep going, his hazy mind focused only on you, you, you, but the cheers of your friends interrupt his one track mind, reminding him that you're both still sitting in a room full of people.

- You’re applauded by the rest of the group as you separate, most of the attention being on you and not Marty’s undoubtedly flushed face; something he’s rather thankful for. You return to your seat as he swallows and shifts around awkwardly, looking for the joint that Jules—helpfully—plucked from his distracted fingers.

- The rest of the night goes along without a hitch, aside from the fact that Marty is quieter than usual and Jules keeps sending you satisfied smiles. It isn’t long before everyone starts saying goodnight, heading to their respective rooms as the time on the clock gets later and later. Once you’re alone, you suddenly find yourself overthinking things. You wonder if you’ve somehow messed things up just by doing what you were told. It’s a silly thought, you know it is, yet you still find yourself struggling to sleep.

- After a while, you decide to leave your room, realizing that you’re not going to get anywhere without somehow clearing your head. You creep out into the hallway, silently debating between a glass of water or a short walk outside; maybe another beer if nothing else seems to work.

- When you leave your room, you’re fairly certain that no one else is awake so you’re surprised to find Marty sitting alone out on the porch. You debate going back to bed but you just can’t do it. You grab a glass of water and head outside, greeting him quietly as you make your way over. You jokingly yet timidly apologize for “making things weird” and he assures you that everything’s fine, passing you his half smoked joint like an olive branch; even though he still struggles to look you in the eyes.

- You take the opportunity to watch the side of his face, taking in his features as you sit and smoke: staring at his strong jaw, his long lashes, his sharp nose. Every now and again he’ll glance over and accidentally meet your gaze, locking eyes with you for a few quick seconds before he shyly looks away. The only thing keeping you from spiraling into self doubt is the joint in your hand and the fact that he seems to be stifling a smile every time the two of you make eye contact. It convinces you that he was telling the truth when he said he wasn’t upset.

- The other thing that convinces you is the kiss you share not long after.

- It takes him a while to muster up the courage, about as long as it takes you to finish the second half of his blunt, but he does so all the same. He glances over at you one last time before he finally just leans in and kisses you—only stopping long enough to pluck the finished blunt from your fingers and crush it beneath his shoe. He pulls you closer once the fire hazard is out of the way, intent on finishing what you started during your game of truth or dare, except this time, it’ll be under the stars and away from prying eyes.

- You’ll be sure to thank Jules in the morning…

- To the untrained eye, Marty can seem a little unaffectionate. He doesn't touch you the way most people expect a boyfriend to; at least not in public. He hangs on you tiredly, grabs hold of you protectively, hugs you, and/or ruffles your hair—but that's about it. They're all things that, to most people, reads as closely platonic instead of intimately romantic. What most people don't realize is that Marty is shy; particularly when it comes to women and particularly when it comes to you. He prefers to keep things PG whenever you're out in public, only loosening up once the two of you are alone and/or around friends.

- You’re likely the touchier one in the relationship, and it's something that Marty likes about you. Though he's not incredibly affectionate himself, he usually tries to reciprocate wherever he can: placing his hands over your own and/or leaning into you whenever you touch him yourself. Most of the time, he either reacts somewhat bashfully or doesn't react at all, depending on how used to you and your antics he is. That being said, even if he doesn't always show it, he always appreciates the love.

- Temple kisses.

- Slow, lazy kisses.

- Makeout sessions. When Marty gets high, he has a tendency to want to kiss you for hours on end—even if he sometimes breaks away from your lips in order to go on some meaningless rant. All you have to do is interrupt him with another kiss and you'll distract him enough to shut him up.

- A lot of Marty’s pet names tend to be somewhat joking: things like the "the missus" or "you fetching minx". If he ever uses a genuine one, it's likely stolen from Jules or Dana; whether subconsciously or not. Whenever he's trying to be sweet or comforting, he often finds himself calling you "honey"; something the girls always call him whenever they're trying not to seem too harsh.

- He likes laying his head on your shoulder/chest whenever the two of you cuddle, using your body like his own personal pillow as he wraps himself around you. Since he has a tendency to sleep while the suns still out, he'll often wedge himself beneath your shoulder and use you like a makeshift shield, blocking out the light as he continues to snooze away.

- Taking naps together, or just having him nap in your presence. Marty is one of those people who gets sleepy the minute they're with their significant other. There's just something about you that makes him feel safe and comfortable; even if he doesn't consciously realize that that's what it is. He always ends up nodding off somewhere in your home: whether it's in your bed, on your couch, or directly on top of you. He just can't help it.

- On that same note, even if he's dead asleep, he almost always wakes up the minute you try to move away from him. He'll hold onto you even tighter, grumbling and blinking blearily at you as you try to explain what you're doing. He acts as though you need to earn the ability to escape—and if you actually do earn it, he'll temporarily fight off sleep in order to immediately snuggle back into you when you finally get back.

- Above all else, Marty’s love language is quality time. Even if you’re completely busy, he just likes being in the same room as you. You usually invite him over to body double for you while you do your homework/study, finding his quiet presence helpful whenever it’s time to focus. He usually takes the time to nap, either across the room from you or in your lap; depending on where you’ve decided to work. You sometimes use him as a table, and though he might make a sarcastic comment about it when he finally wakes up, he doesn’t do anything to stop you; unless he really needs to get up for something.

- As someone who's high like 90% of the time, he likes relaxing at home more than he likes going out. A lot of your dates are just the two of you chilling out in your dorm room/apartment: eating takeout, smoking weed, and philosophizing.

- Smoking weed together. Honestly, even if you don't smoke, you still get a second hand high just from being around him.

- Always having munchies ready to go.

- Watching movies together. He used to be fine with watching horror movies but after a bad experience with some weed-induced paranoia, he refuses to watch anything even remotely scary. If you do convince him to let you put one on, he insists on sticking together for the rest of the night, staying at your place and using you like a teddy bear every time he gets a little nervous. Sometimes, after the two of you finish watching, he'll make a dead-panned "joke" about borrowing one of your stuffed animals....

"See. That wasn't so bad."

"I think I'm borrowing Mr. Mittens tonight."

- Hanging out in his station wagon. Sometimes the two of you use it to camp out in secluded areas: smoking, picnicking, and just sort of lazing about.

- Listening to his rants. You love your little doobie-smoking, modern day Socrates but sometimes he really annoys you: like when he gets so into his hypotheses and conspiracies that he doesn't realize you're buzzing with need until you quite literally climb onto his lap or pointedly grab his upper thigh.

- Catching him talking to himself. Whenever you do, he always gets a little embarrassed and asks if you "heard that", making excuses that usually boil down to him just being really high; even if he's currently sober.

- Trying to deter him from making stupid decisions, and getting him to take better care of himself. He's never been a self-destructive or neglectful person, but he can be a bit reckless—something you try your best to nip in the bud before it gets him into too much trouble.

- Have you ever seen that meme about Smeagol standing up when he takes you to meet his parents? That's kind of what it's like when you go to meet Marty's. He stands up straighter, uses good manners, tries to be on his best behavior, etc. Honestly, they might not even know that he smokes.

- That being said, don't be surprised if you get used as a sacrifice so he can light one up in the bathroom without being interrupted, or if he asks you to go for a walk around the block with him to "show you his old neighborhood".

- He occasionally takes walks during/after he smokes, and more often than not, he'll end up at your place. Sometimes it's on purpose, sometimes it's not, and sometimes it's because he's feeling a little paranoid; even if he doesn't want to admit it.

- He's kind of just down for whatever. Want to go to the waffle house at 3am? Sure. Frat Party on Friday? Okay. Trip to the zoo? Just say the words. Whatever it is, wherever it is, if it'll make you happy, he'll almost always agree. Just don't expect him to show too much enthusiasm, he has a tendency to talk in a super nonchalant way, even as you're excitedly hugging and thanking him.

- I personally think that Marty is some kind of engineering major, so he's definitely capable of fixing things that are giving you a hard time. He'll solve things that have been bothering you for months in a matter of minutes, and once he's done, he'll clap his hands and say "time for weed" like he completed the simplest chore in the entire world.

- Marty loves you to the point of invention. He's made you several different objects and tools: things like specialized holders, and perfectly modified parts that remedy your problems with preexisting belongings. All of them are designed to make your life easier, and all of them show just how much he actually pays attention to you.

- He’s definitely gotten you a type of vegetation from the grocery store, either confusing it with another type of flower or just assuming that it was one. Like, Marty, honey, you’re so sweet and I love you so much, but baby, that's kale.

- He has a tendency to buy you things and then forget that he bought them. He'll go into a convenience store and get you a cute key chain, only to wind up giving it to you minutes, hours, days, or even months later. He just forgets all about it until he randomly comes across it again, or is somehow reminded of it.

"Oh right. Here. I got you this."

- Having to occasionally do some detective work when he’s trying to tell you a story. Sometimes it's because he gets distracted before he can finish, forcing you to pry for information and force the rest of the story out of him. And sometimes it's because he mixes up different words, ones that can drastically alter whatever he's saying. Seeing someone get shot in the face is very different from seeing someone get hit in the face with a ball.

- Trying to get him to take a hint is hit or miss. Sometimes he catches on immediately. Sometimes it takes him a minute and maybe a little nudge, usually making your efforts to be inconspicuous suddenly somewhat obvious—"Oh. Oh right, yeah, I'll come too.". And other times, he'll be completely oblivious, not even understanding after the moment has passed.

"What?" He asks as you give him an exasperated look.

- Getting adopted into the friend group and invited along on all of their adventures.

- He's somehow always cold. It'll be a warm sunny day and he'll have on three layers of clothing, and his hands will somehow still be cool to the touch. It's absolutely torture whenever you're in bed together.

- For some reason, I feel like Marty's a little insecure about his body. Because of this, he'd be really understanding about your own insecurities; even if he doesn't agree with a single one of them.

- As a college stoner, he's not exactly the pinnacle of good health. He likely just has an amazing metabolism and/or spends all his money on weed instead of food. That being said, I also find it incredibly funny to think that Marty is secretly and ridiculously muscular(the same way his actor was while filming). Imagine laying on him or watching him take his shirt off for the first time, expecting a pudgy belly or a rail thin torso, and getting a physique that could rival an actual athletes.

- He gets all shy whenever you give him your undivided attention and/or praise. You once swiped his hair from his face and told him that it was because “you wanted to see his pretty eyes”—leading to him being unable to look at you with said pretty eyes for nearly an entire minute, bashfully turning away from you and trying to hide his face.

- Marty stares at you as you stand in his kitchen, bathed in the warm glow from the light above his stove. You're making him dinner and he's watching you like a fool, blinking slowly in a way that would convince you he's drunk. When you glance over at him and meet his eyes, you teasingly ask what he's looking at, a beautiful smile tugging at your lips. He replies in a voice that sounds far too weak and far too earnest, telling you that he "thinks you might be an angel". It's not too different from the silly things he's said before, but it's something that's always stuck with you.

- You don't know if Marty is just a naturally non-sexual person or if he's reached a sort of weed-induced level of enlightenment, but a lot of the time, your nudity doesn't affect him as much as you would expect it to. Nevertheless, it's kind of nice being able to exist in your birthday suit without him making a big deal out of it—aside from the few times you've woken up to him pretending he's a coroner in a cop show.

- Marty makes a lot of random and oftentimes odd observations: like how the place you're standing in smells like his third grade classroom, or that the color of your shirt is the same color as one of his old cell phone cases. They never really go anywhere, he just sort of says them and moves on.

- Try not to be offended when he informs you that he associates you with a random object/animal. Though the comparison may seem a little insulting, it's made with nothing but love. You might not necessarily want to be told that you "kind of look like a frog", but can you really stay mad at him when he tells you that he thinks of you every time he sees one and/or watches videos of frogs whenever he misses you? Maybe—but if you're dating him then you'll just have to accept it and let him call you froggy. It's very odd, but it's also very him.

- He always notices when you've changed something about yourself, but doesn't always know how to comment on it. He can't just say you look nice like a normal person would; at least not at first, he always has to make some teasing comment or odd comparison. He'll hurriedly correct himself after you roll your eyes, but that doesn't change the fact that he told you that you looked like an albatross when you changed the way you did your eyeliner. Oh, so now he knows what animals are.

- He often gets distracted by you: by the way you pronounce certain words, the way your eyes light up when you're excited, the color your hair turns in the sun, etc. Sometimes, it can make it seem like he isn't listening, but he absolutely is—he just can't come up with a response quick enough to convince you.

- He always looks for you every time you're in a crowd, asking people if they've seen you and paying little attention to anybody else. Honestly, it's kind of cute seeing him look so lost, floundering around in search of you as though you're the most important thing in the world.

- Blame it on him being shy, or being raised in a somewhat conservative household; or maybe even being a secret virgin, but Marty can sometimes be amusingly prudish. He occasionally makes comments about the things you're wearing or the way you're acting, but he always defends your honor the minute someone else tries to call you a slut; even if he not-so-subtly warned you that it would happen beforehand.

- He's the type of guy to silently cover you up when you're out in public—not because he's ashamed, but because he doesn't like the way other guys are acting. He pointedly positions himself in a way that blocks you from view, both for your benefit and to the annoyance of other men who are trying to leer at you. He might not understand it, but he respects your occasionally impractical wardrobe choices; even if he still thinks that you should have listened to him when he warned you about your skirt being too short. Either way, he learns to protect your goodies like it's second nature and never lets you accidentally embarrass yourself.

- Whenever someone says something along the lines of not being able to believe that you're together, or that you're with him, he always jokingly yet not so jokingly informs them that he can't believe it either; his tone laced with sarcasm. He's not incredibly offended, if anything he's actually pretty proud, but he still likes fucking with them and making things awkward.

- It's easy to miss when Marty gets jealous since all he usually does is make passing comments that you, and everybody else, just assume are jokes. He's trying to steal her from me, he wants to bang you, I was worried he was gonna cop a feel, etc. They're all things that sound amusing; especially with his dead-panned delivery, but also hold some truth to them, and if they're spoken in front of the person, they usually ruin the mood and snap them back to reality.

- Marty is surprisingly protective. He always defends your honor and gives sass to people who are rude to you, outright telling them that he doesn't like the way they treated you; almost like a bid for them to apologize. He hangs back and watches to make sure you're alright whenever you go off on your own, and when something scary happens, he instinctively grabs and blocks you with his body; even if it's just during a scary movie.

- It isn't often that Marty starts fights himself. It usually only happens if he "has to put his foot down"—or if he accidentally says something that makes him sound like a jerk. If that's the case, he apologizes very quickly, and you usually forgive him just as quickly because it's obvious that he didn't mean to say it in the first place; especially with the speed at which he clicks his tongue and corrects himself.

- That being said, when you start fights, Marty tends to either match your energy, try to reason with you, or just throw his hands up defensively and tell you that he's going to give you space. He usually leaves you alone to deal with your feelings whenever he knows that they aren't actually about him and that you're just lashing out. But he sometimes sticks around and endures your "abuse" just to help you through them.

- He always apologizes first; even if you're the one in the wrong, and always makes sure to ask how you're doing; even when you're the one being mean to him. He has a bad habit of valuing you and your feelings over his own, always making excuses for you and telling you that you're "only human". He always understands your point of view—even without you having to tell him—which is part of the reason why he forgives you so easily. Just be nice to him, alright? He has low self esteem.

- He tells you he loves you rather casually; usually in response to you saying it to him. He just gets really used to saying it, so much so that it becomes second nature for him